At Workforce Genetics we often find that clients and even some junior recruiters we speak with don’t quite understand the difference between Staffing Agencies and Search Firms when it comes to specifics within the recruiting industry.
Even though the end of your PhD might seem far away, time will go by quicker than you think, and it’s never too early to start thinking about your next steps, even if the steps are very small at first. And with increasingly fewer folks seeking academic roles post-PhD, it pays to explore exactly what you’ll be able to do with this hard-earned degree!
One of the leaders in the DE&I biotech space has been Gilead, the parent company of Kite, which launched a robust, action-oriented DE&I initiative in 2019. Gilead and Kite have made concerted efforts to improve workplace culture for underrepresented groups; they currently have programs focused on advancing black leadership, developing diverse talent, building diversity representation goals, establishing pay equity, and working with its partners on DE&I efforts.
A recent panel discussion at Bisnow’s May Mid-Atlantic Life Sciences & Biotech event further emphasized the point that we’ve been hearing time and time again – we need to do more to support and adequately prepare the workforce to fill not only the current life science positions but future needs as well.
The company that has its roots in Australia has rapidly expanded its presence in Maryland, recently celebrating the grand opening of its 215,000-square-foot production facility in Frederick. Driven by the need to produce its at-home COVID-19 diagnostics device, the site opened less than one year after signing a lease for the space. And now, with the new location open to produce COVID-19 tests, the company is ready to fill numerous positions at the production facility. Ellume will host an on-site career fair at its Frederick facility on April 26 in order to recruit high-quality candidates who are attracted to the company’s mission and culture.
Several biotech companies worked with Frederick to design the Biotech Bootcamp curriculum and interviewed participants after the month-long program, which they will do again this round. Of the 14 students who completed the first Biotech Bootcamp, ten have landed positions at Frederick County biotech companies, including Lonza, Ellume, and Kite Pharma. Some also accepted positions at Rockville-based Meso Scale Diagnostics.
The essence of both biotechnology and commerce carries the potential for positive societal transformation. With the new Biotechnology Track being offered in McIntire’s M.S. in Commerce, students with life science backgrounds will gain business skills and emerge ready to excel in areas where the two fields convene. The new area of focus at the McIntire School is the result of a generous $5 million gift from The Chris and Carrie Shumway Foundation and a $3.5 million match from the University’s Strategic Investment Fund to fund faculty teaching in programs at the intersection of business and bioscience.
Biotechnology Track Director Nikki Hastings discovered the importance of being fluent in both areas firsthand. A graduate of the University’s Biomedical Engineering PhD program, her experiences immediately after the completion of her studies proved critical.
“I was taught the business side of building biotech companies through incredible mentors from the business world while working at HemoShear Therapeutics,” she says, recalling how she recognized her lack of business knowledge and found herself fortunate to be in an environment where she could learn. She credits the mentorship she received and the spirit of entrepreneurship that defined the Charlottesville-based drug development startup with helping her to find her passions—right at the intersection of business and science.
What is medical writing?
Well it’s not a straight forward question to answer. Turns out, there are many types of medical writers (MWs). Medical writing is an umbrella term to describe a number of writing positions that support the pharmaceutical industry.
At its core, medical writing is simply the creation of documents around a pharmaceutical product or medical procedure. The document could be anything from a patient information leaflet, to a step-by-step submission protocol to apply for a drug licence, or a publication explaining how a new medical device works.
For healthcare professionals (HCPs), getting information about a drug or medical device is important for their patients. Likewise, other stakeholders in healthcare including patients, payers (insurance companies, governments), and regulatory agencies, also require information from pharma and medical device companies about new and existing products. Therefore, MWs need to know how to write about complicated medical information in a way that’s easy for the relevant audience to understand.
It’s more than just writing about drugs, diseases, and medical conditions, it’s about creating messages on health, treatments, and medicines, and presenting transparent scientific information on the efficacy and safety of medical products.
MWs must have excellent writing skills as well as…
WorkForce Genetics recently hosted the webinar event, “Navigating Your Biomanufacturing Career.” The webinar, which was held in March 2022, brought together industry thought leaders for a robust panel discussion about biomanufacturing career tips for the BioHealth Capital Region’s booming job market.
UMBC’s Biotechnology Master’s program provides specialized training that not only teaches students the latest skills and trends in biotech, but equips them to be successful in sought-after management and leadership roles.
